Cooking Grill Using Pellet Fuel

ABSTRACT

A cooking grill has a container with a heating bowl inside one end wall with a fuel pellet feed for combustion within the bowl and an automatic igniter for starting the combustion. A grate is arranged over the heating bowl at the first end of the container and over the part of the container beyond the heating bowl. An arch-shaped cover underneath the grate acts to spread heat along the container and onto parts of the grate beyond the heating bowl and to carry liquid toward the second end of the container for collection. The cover has a first portion at the heating bowl with slots for direct release of searing heat to food products on the grate with the remainder of the cover being substantially imperforate. A slide portion is provided to close the slots.

This invention relates to a cooking grill for outdoor grilling andbarbecuing of the type which uses compressed fuel pellets of wood forcombustion, an particularly to an improvement to a grill of this typewhere extra heat can be obtained for short term searing of meat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recent developments in barbecuing have led to manufacture of a cookinggrill of the type comprising a container mounted on legs and having anopenable top lid for enclosing a cooking area. A source of heat isprovided within the cooking area for applying heat to a food products tobe cooked carried on a grate within the cooking area. The source of heatincludes a heating bowl with a pellet feed system for dischargingpellets of fuel into the bowl at a predetermined rate for combustionwithin the bowl to generate heat. An automatic igniter is provided forstarting the combustion so that the pellet burner is as convenient asgas but provides much improved food quality. The heating bowl is locatedat a first end of the container leaving a part of the container up tothe other end located beyond the heating bowl. The grate is arrangedover the heating bowl at the first end of the container and over thepart of the container beyond the heating bowl. An arch-shaped coverextends along the container underneath the grate located over theheating bowl and extends into the part of the container beyond theheating bowl so as to spread heat from the heating bowl along thecontainer and onto parts of the grate beyond the heating bowl and so asto carry liquid including fat falling from the food products on thegrate toward a second end of the container for collection. One exampleis sold under the trade name Louisiana-Grills.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is one object of the invention to provide an improved grillingarrangement for use in a grill of the above general type.

According to the invention a cooking grill of the type described aboveis modified so as to include a cover having a first portion arrangedover the heating bowl including a plurality of openings for allowingdirect release of heat from the heating bowl upwardly to food productson the grate above the heating bowl when required with the cover beingsubstantially imperforate beyond the heating bowl and the cover has acomponent by which the plurality of openings are closed by the componentto prevent direct release of heat from the heating bowl upwardly to foodproducts on the grate above the heating bowl when required.

The term “heating bowl” used herein is not intended to limit the elementconcerned in terms of its shape or its material and the bowl may beformed of metal or other materials and may have any shape provided itacts to receive and contain pellets during combustion with the heat andgases of combustion rising to the cover.

In one arrangement the component forms a separate imperforate coversheet which is placed over the openings.

In another arrangement the component includes a plurality of openingsmatching the openings in the cover and is movable relative to the coverfrom an open position to align the openings to a closed position tomisalign the openings.

Other arrangements can also be provided where the openings allow theheat to escape directly upwardly but can be closed or covered to haltthe direct escape.

Preferably the openings form a series of parallel slots since these cancause the typical sear marks on the food product but other shapes ofopening can be provided in a pattern of any array.

Preferably if the slots are used they are transverse to the container sothat the arch shape of the cover acts to strengthen the metal stripsforming the cover between the open slots.

Preferably the slots extend across the heating bowl from one side to theother side to maximize the heat escape when required.

Preferably the openings form an array arranged to extend oversubstantially the whole of the heating bowl and terminate at a positionat or just beyond the heating bowl, again to maximize the heat escapewhen required.

As in typical products of this type, the cover is preferably arched soas to define center apex along the container and descending on each sideso as to shed liquid to the sides where the cover has channels formedalong the sides to direct the liquid along the cover. However othershapes of cover shedding in different direction can also be used. Alsothe cover preferably extends to a position adjacent but spaced from asecond end of the container so as to discharge the liquid into acatchment container where it can be discharged to a collection vesselfor disposal.

Preferably the grill is of the type where there is provided an automaticigniter such as a heated glow element and an air blower, for the pelletsin the heating bowl. However his is not an essential element and manuallighting can be employed.

Preferably the pellets are fed into the bowl by an auger from a supplytank at one end of the container where the auger feed through an openingat one end of the container into the bowl carried on the inside of theend wall of the container. Preferably the container is cylindrical butother shapes and arrangements can be used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a grill according to the presentinvention showing the openings in the cover at the heating bowl in theclosed position.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a grill the same as that of FIG. 1showing the openings in the cover at the heating bowl in the openposition.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the grill of FIG. 1 showingthe openings in the cover at the heating bowl in the closed or coveredposition.

FIG. 4 is a broken isometric view of the grill of FIG. 1 showing theopenings in the cover at the heating bowl in the open position.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the cover only of the grill of FIG. 1.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The cooking grill shown in the drawings includes a cylindrical container10 mounted on legs 11 and having an openable top lid 12 for enclosing aninterior cooking area 13. The container 10 has a cylindrical peripheralwall 14 closed at two ends by end walls 15 and 16. The lid 12 forms acontinuation of the cylindrical wall to cover an opening 17 between theend walls 16 and 16. The lid is carried on internal hinges 18 and isclosed by a handle 19 so as to provide an attractive continuation of thecylindrical wall.

A source of heat 20 is provided within the cooking area for applyingheat to a food products to be cooked carried on a grate 22 within thecooking area and bridging the container at a height above the heatsource and bridging a top edge 17A of the opening 17 at the front andcarried on a support ledge at the rear to form a conventional horizontalflat perforated grate for the food products.

The source of heat 20 includes a metal heating bowl or pan 20A carriedon the inside of the end wall 15 of the container with an auger pelletfeed system 20B driven by a motor 20C for discharging pellets of fuelthrough an opening 20D in the end wall 15 into the bowl 20A at apredetermined rate for combustion within the bowl to generate heat.

An automatic igniter 21 is provided for starting the combustion. Thisincludes an electrically heated glow element 21A and an air blower 21Bso that air passes through the wall 15 at the bowl through an opening21C and the heat and air cause combustion in the pellets toautomatically start. The igniter is operated for a period of time andthen halted to allow combustion to continue driven by the feed of thepellets and the rate of air flow. The operating components of theigniter are contained in a housing 21D mounted on the end wall 15outside the interior combustion area 13.

The heating bowl is located at a first end 15 of the container leaving apart P of the container up to the other end 16 located beyond the endwall 20E of the heating bowl. The grate 22 is arranged over the heatingbowl 20A at the first end 15 of the container and over the part P of thecontainer beyond the heating bowl so that food products can be placed onto the grate throughout the area of the container 10 under the lid 12.

An arch-shaped cover 23 extends along the container underneath the grate22 located over the heating bowl and extends into the part P of thecontainer beyond the heating bowl 20A so as to spread heat from theheating bowl along the container 10 and onto parts of the grate 22beyond the heating bowl and so as to carry liquid including fat fallingfrom the food products on the grate toward the second end 16 of thecontainer for collection.

The arch-shaped cover defines a center apex 23A along the container anddescending on each side to up-standing side flanges 23B, 23C so as toshed liquid to the sides where the cover has channels formed along thesides by the flanges to direct the liquid along the cover to the remoteend 23D adjacent the wall 16. The cover has a first end 23E close to theend wall 15 and extends to a position adjacent but spaced from thesecond end wall 16 of the container and is mounted on the sides of thecontainer 10 so that it is inclined downwardly toward the wall 16 so asto discharge the liquid into a catchment container 23F at the wall 16where it can be discharged to a collection vessel at a spout 23G fordisposal.

In this embodiment, the cover is formed in two sections including a maincover section 23H and a second closure portion 23J. The main coversection 23H has a first portion 23K arranged over the heating bowl 20Aincluding a plurality of openings 23M for allowing direct release ofheat from the heating bowl 20A upwardly to food products on the grate 22above the heating bowl 20A when required. The cover section 23H issubstantially imperforate beyond the heating bowl. Thus the openings arearranged only at the heating bowl to allow direct upward release of heatto the food on the grate. The incline of the cover causes the cover tobe closely adjacent or just below the grate at the heating bowl so thatthe food on the grate is directly adjacent the heat from the heatingbowl for a very hot searing action. Other food on the remainder of thegrate does not have this direct line of sight to the heat and hence isheated in the conventional manner by convection of heat in the airpassing around the end of the cover and by radiation from the heatedcover.

The openings 23M form an array arranged to extend over substantially thewhole of the heating bowl and terminate at a position 23N at or justbeyond the heating bowl to maximize the heat escape when required.

The openings 23M form a series of parallel slots 23P transverse to thecontainer so that the arch shape of the cover acts to strengthen themetal strips 23Q forming the cover between the open slots 23P. The useof slots can cause the typical sear marks on the food product. The slotsextend across the heating bowl from one end 23R adjacent one side flange23B to an opposed end adjacent the other side flange 23C to maximize theheat escape when required.

The second part 23J of the cover 23 forms a component by which theplurality of openings are closed by the component when moved to aposition overlying the openings to prevent direct release of heat fromthe heating bowl to the food products on the grate above the heatingbowl when the searing actions is not required. Thus the component 23Jforms a separate imperforate cover sheet which is placed over theopenings 23M.

In another arrangement, the second part 23J of the cover 23 includes aplurality of openings or slots 23M matching the openings in the maincover part 23H and is movable relative to the cover over a shortdistance from an open position in which the slots are aligned to aclosed position to misalign the slots. A component outside the containercan be provided to effect the sliding movement of the second part 23Jwithout the necessity to manually engage the part or even to open thelid.

1. A cooking grill comprising: a container having an openable lid forenclosing a cooking area; a source of heat within the cooking area forapplying heat to a food products to be cooked; a grate within thecooking area for placement over the source of heat onto which the foodproducts are placed for cooking; the source of heat comprising: aheating bowl; a pellet feed system for discharging pellets of fuel intothe bowl at a predetermined rate for combustion within the bowl togenerate heat; the heating bowl being located at a first end of thecontainer leaving a part of the container located beyond the heatingbowl; the grate being arranged over the heating bowl at said first endof the container and over the part of the container beyond the heatingbowl; a cover extending along the container underneath the grate locatedover the heating bowl and extending into the part of the containerbeyond the heating bowl so as to spread heat from the heating bowl alongthe container and onto parts of the grate beyond the heating bowl and soas to carry liquid including fat falling from the food products on thegrate toward a second end of the container; the cover having a firstportion arranged over the heating bowl including a plurality of openingsfor allowing direct release of heat from the heating bowl upwardly tofood products on the grate above the heating bowl when required; thecover being substantially imperforate beyond the heating bowl; the coverhaving a component by which the plurality of openings are closed by thecomponent to prevent direct release of heat from the heating bowlupwardly to food products on the grate above the heating bowl whenrequired.
 2. The cooking grill according to claim 1 wherein thecomponent forms a separate imperforate cover sheet which is placed overthe openings.
 3. The cooking grill according to claim 1 wherein thecomponent includes a plurality of openings matching the openings in thecover and is movable relative to the cover from an open position toalign the openings to a closed position to misalign the openings.
 4. Thecooking grill according to claim 1 wherein the openings form a series ofparallel slots.
 5. The cooking grill according to claim 1 wherein theslots are transverse to the container.
 6. The cooking grill according toclaim 1 wherein the slots extend across the heating bowl from one sideto the other side.
 7. The cooking grill according to claim 1 wherein theopenings form an array arranged to extend over substantially the wholeof the heating bowl and terminate at a position at or just beyond theheating bowl.
 8. The cooking grill according to claim 1 wherein thecover is arched so as to define center apex along the container anddescending on each side so as to shed liquid to the sides.
 9. Thecooking grill according to claim 8 wherein the cover has channels formedalong the sides to direct the liquid along the cover.
 10. The cookinggrill according to claim 1 wherein the cover extends to a positionadjacent but spaced from a second end of the container so as todischarge the liquid into a catchment container.
 11. The cooking grillaccording to claim 1 wherein there is provided an automatic igniter forthe pellets in the heating bowl.
 12. The cooking grill according toclaim 1 wherein the automatic igniter includes a heated element and anair blower.
 13. The cooking grill according to claim 1 wherein thepellets are fed into the bowl by an auger.
 14. The cooking grillaccording to claim 1 wherein the container is cylindrical.
 15. Thecooking grill according to claim 1 wherein the cover is inclineddownwardly in a direction away from the heating bowl to shed the liquidaway from the heating bowl.
 16. The cooking grill according to claim 1wherein the cover is immediately underneath the grate at the heatingbowl.